Collocations for "failure"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "failure" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
failure
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- a [dismal, disappointing, predictable] failure
- that was a [complete, total] failure
- at least it was not a [complete] failure
- was a failure on my part
- well, [today, the party] was a failure
- I feel (like) a failure
- I felt a [complete, total] failure
- a failure to [comply, provide, meet]
- failure to [comply, do so, pay] will (result in)
- failure to [notice, communicate]
- the baby's failure to [thrive, latch on]
- [fines, sanctions, penalties] for payment failure
- [rate, chance] of failure
- experienced a (part) failure
- do not accept failure
- failure is unacceptable
- (we) learn through failure
- his life was [plagued, strewn, littered] with failures
- failures and successes
- [kidney, heart, liver, renal] failure
- went into [kidney] failure
- engine failure
- failure of [a part, an engine, a machine]
- failure or malfunction
'failure' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
academic
- acceptance
- acknowledge
- act
- acute
- advert
- afraid
- alleged
- assured
- astonishing
- attend
- blame
- bounce
- bound
- brake
- brush
- comply
- consider
- constitute
- contract
- curse
- depend
- despair
- disappoint
- dismal
- dog
- doom
- doomed
- edgy
- electricity
- emergency
- evidence
- fault
- fear
- fine
- fulfill
- fury
- get
- grounded
- haunt
- head
- healthy
- heart
- high
- hint
- inability
- induce
- judge
- kidney
- liver